Chatroulette online is the latest craze.
In this very simplistic format, a user can click through a series of webcam images in an attempt to connect online with an interesting real-live person.
The conversation starts with a standard "Hi", or some potentially bizarre equivalent.
For the socially challenged, a large group who will be drawn to Chatroulette online, the conversation will not get much deeper than this.
Several clicks later, the faces will be blurred and lost to memory.
So what is the value of such an online chat site? One could argue that is provides entertainment for people who are homebound or for those who have a hard time making social connections in the real world.
On the other hand, escaping from reality through sites such as Chatroulette can potentially cause those already in a dark state to fall further into an abyss far from reality.
Unlike the pen-pal method of old, a lasting relationship is not being honed by sites like Chatroulette.
It used to be that we started as children to learn the skills of communication in order to survive and flourish in our daily lives.
Now our young children are savvy with technology like online chat software such as Chatroulette, Facebook, and MySpace.
Visual cues no longer need to be reacted to.
Saying hurtful things about others is no longer an issue because relationships are simply superficial.
Sites such as Chatroulette have the potential to devalue the art of interpersonal relationships.
If I don't like how you look, you are unworthy of my time.
Click.
You disappear.
Next.
From the aspect of pure entertainment value, however, Chatroulette can provide a hilarious escape from the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
Online chat software like this allows the user to turn the entertainment on and off with the click of a mouse.
In the hands of mature adults, this can be a harmless and unpredictable ride through cyberspace.
In this very simplistic format, a user can click through a series of webcam images in an attempt to connect online with an interesting real-live person.
The conversation starts with a standard "Hi", or some potentially bizarre equivalent.
For the socially challenged, a large group who will be drawn to Chatroulette online, the conversation will not get much deeper than this.
Several clicks later, the faces will be blurred and lost to memory.
So what is the value of such an online chat site? One could argue that is provides entertainment for people who are homebound or for those who have a hard time making social connections in the real world.
On the other hand, escaping from reality through sites such as Chatroulette can potentially cause those already in a dark state to fall further into an abyss far from reality.
Unlike the pen-pal method of old, a lasting relationship is not being honed by sites like Chatroulette.
It used to be that we started as children to learn the skills of communication in order to survive and flourish in our daily lives.
Now our young children are savvy with technology like online chat software such as Chatroulette, Facebook, and MySpace.
Visual cues no longer need to be reacted to.
Saying hurtful things about others is no longer an issue because relationships are simply superficial.
Sites such as Chatroulette have the potential to devalue the art of interpersonal relationships.
If I don't like how you look, you are unworthy of my time.
Click.
You disappear.
Next.
From the aspect of pure entertainment value, however, Chatroulette can provide a hilarious escape from the trials and tribulations of everyday life.
Online chat software like this allows the user to turn the entertainment on and off with the click of a mouse.
In the hands of mature adults, this can be a harmless and unpredictable ride through cyberspace.
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